Artificial intelligence and robotisation in the EU - should we change OHS law?

BACKGROUND: Technological progress in the twenty-first century offers real chances for economic development of the European Union (EU). The purpose of this publication is to analyse risks and threats relating to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) considerations in the context of scientific and technological development. The article attempts the analysis of whether current legislation of the European Union enables good protection of workers’ health in the performance of their duties using robots, artificial intelligence (AI). A feature of robotisation and AI may be new challenges in OHS protection. The analysis performed aims to determine whether threats posted by working with Artificial Intelligence are serious enough for the EU Legislator to focus on implementation of new OHS regulations. METHODS: The analysis was carried out on the basis of current legal regulations related to the protection of employee’s health in the European Union. The study used literature related to robotisation with artificial intelligence and health and safety at work in the working environment. RESULTS: Given the new psychological and physical threats related to the use of AI robots, it is necessary to expand the EU legislation with general guidelines for the use of intelligent robots in the work environment. Indeed, such robots must be defined in the applicable legal framework. Employers should also define, as part of their internal regulations, the procedures for employee communication with artificial intelligence, and relevantly update their training in the OHS area. CONCLUSIONS: The developments in AI-assisted robots come with inherent risks and threats to the working environment. New challenges create the need for adapting EU laws to changing reality. In order to structure European Union legislation on health and safety at work, these changes could be defined in a single piece of legislation covering robotics and AI after detailed analysis, dialogue, and debate.